Camper cabins the next evolution in staying at state parks

MIDDLEBROOK ó The early evening sky couldn't quite make up its mind. Patches of blue glowed to the south while lightning flashed and thunder rumbled over Goggins Mountain to the north.

For information on camping at Missouri State Parks, visit mostateparks.com. Reservations can be made at Johnsonís Shut-Ins and Mark Twain state parks online at mostateparks.com or by calling (877) 422-6766. For lodging at Lake Wappapello State Park, call (573) 297-3817 or visit reservations@breakinwavesrental.com. At Stockton State Park, call (417) 276-5329.

In the foreground, spring peepers chirped sweetly from Beaver Pond.

The storm finally won out in a deluge that caused the peepers to pick up their pace, singing in the rain.

I was "roughing it," sort of, at Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. But the weather was no cause for concern; I watched the drama unfold from a rocker on the porch of my cozy camper cabin.

Camper cabins, which offer a comfortable compromise between a housekeeping cabin and a tent, are hot items at four state parks. Johnson's Shut-Ins and Mark Twain state parks have six camper cabins, Stockton State Park has five and Lake Wappapello State Park has four.

When the campground at Johnson's Shut-Ins was relocated and rebuilt after the collapse of Ameren Missouri's Taum Sauk Reservoir in December 2005, six camper cabins were added on a hillside overlooking Beaver Pond.

The two-room cabins have a queen-size bed in the bedroom and a futon. They have rustic wood furniture, including a dining table and chairs. They have electricity, heating and air conditioning but do not include water or bathrooms. A central shower house and restrooms are a short walk away.

Each cabin has a ceiling fan, microwave and toaster, compact refrigerator and coffeepot. A porch bench and rocker, picnic table, lantern pole, pedestal grill and campfire grill are outside. Guests bring their own cooking and eating utensils and bedding linens or sleeping bag.

The cabins at Johnson's Shut-Ins were built on site while the cabins at the three other parks were prefabricated and then moved to the parks. The pre-made log cabins include a carpeted sleeping loft for the kids.

"The kids really love the lofts," said Dustin Webb, superintendent at Mark Twain. "We get a lot of folks who come to fish and family groups once the kids are out of school." Webb said the cabins were very popular last year, and he thinks additional camper cabins would fill quickly as well. The camper cabins at Johnson's Shut-Ins rent for $75, plus tax, per night. Rates at Stockton, Mark Twain and Lake Wappapello are $65 a night, with some parks offering lower prices during the week and in the off-season.

THE GOOD LIFE

Missouri State Parks recently started a "Cabins for Canines" program that allows dogs in designated cabins, including certain camper cabins. All four state parks offer the "Cabins for Canines" program based on the availability of the camper cabins. The charge is $15 a night per dog, with a limit of two dogs.

HARD-CORE CAMPERS

Thom Richter, a graphic designer from the St. Louis suburb of Glendale, arrived at his camper cabin at Johnson's Shut-Ins a short time before the storm. He brought his wife, Stacie; two sons, Andrew, 13, and Joel, 11; and Zoey, a white Labrador mix.

"We were looking to tent camp but saw the camper cabins online," Richter said. "We went to Montauk State Park at this time last year, and the four of us got poured on. We put the tent up in the rain. But my wife's a hard-core camper; she was fine."

The rain at Johnson's Shut-Ins let up at dusk in time to barbecue dinner, but it picked up again overnight. The next morning, the sun highlighted the mist that encircled Goggins Mountain and hovered over Beaver Pond, which was silent except for the calls of jays, cardinals and woodpeckers.

"That storm was something," Richter said. "It looks like the Smokies out there right now, with all the fog." Added his wife: "I'm happy we did the cabin instead of the tent; it rained a ton."

Both praised the accommodations in the camper cabin and the shower house.

"All four of us were impressed at how clean and nice the bathrooms are," he said. "The cabin is absolutely beautiful, comfortable and very spacious."

As the boys headed off on their bikes, Richter carried water from the shower house to the cabin, where his wife was waiting with a propane camping stove to heat water for the breakfast dishes. They planned to stay three nights in the cabin and explore the park and the other attractions of Arcadia Valley.

"We're going to hit Elephant Rocks State Park at some point," Richter said.

THE EVOLUTION OF CAMPING

Stockton, Mark Twain and Lake Wappapello state parks are centered around large lakes popular for fishing and other water sports. The camper cabins at these parks are in the woods, with views of the lakes.

†"It's the closest lodging we have to the lake," said Harry Lefferts, the Stockton State Park concessionaire. "There's a little path that goes down to the cove. You can lock your stuff in the camper cabin and leave for the day. It's just part of the evolution of camping."

"The cabins have a really nice view," said Jeff Ayers, superintendent at Johnson's Shut-Ins. "You're camping in a park, but you don't have to have a tent. It's easier for people to come down who don't have all the equipment. You still get the outdoor experience."

Although the camper cabins at some of the other parks are open year-round, the cabins at Johnson's Shut-Ins are closed in January and February. Ayers said he might propose keeping at least three open year-round.